Careful what you wish for
by HarisaEnaja
Summary: After finding out that Merlin has Magic, Arthur wishes he'd never met him- then gets his wish. He gets a glimpse into what the world would have been like if Merlin had never come to Camelot. reveal!Fic. Bromance. Not intended slash (see it how you want) Mostly cannon relationships. possible Mergana. multichapter.
1. Prolog

**A/N: I have no idea where this is going or if I'm going to continue it. Set some time in Season 5. Fair warning, might get a little gory later on. As always, if you have ideas or would like me to continue, let me know! (I don't own anything)**

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It had been a pretty normal day in Camelot, until a farmer from a village just outside the city burst into the throne room screaming hysterically about a smoke monster. Gaius and Merlin had spent the night researching the man's account and come to the conclusion that the creature was something called a Djinn, a smoke and fire creature with a mischievous side that liked to grant wishes. That last bit didn't sound too terrible to Merlin, but Gaius assured him that all the old texts portrayed the Djinn's wish granting abilities as a soundly bad thing.

Not that the creatures intentions mattered that much. It was a creature of magic, therefor Arthur had declared it evil and was determined to banish it from his lands. And Arthur being Arthur meant he couldn't just trust his knights to kill the thing, oh no, it meant he had to go out and do it himself. The prat.

Merlin shot a withering glare at the back of the kings head as they traipsed through the forest near where the creature had been spotted. He was running on barely two hours of sleep and in a horrible mood because of it. Arthur and his closest knights had decided to ride out at first light and Merlin could hardly let them go without him.

Currently they'd split up into three teams of two with plans to meet up in an hour and report their findings, which at the moment were absolutely nothing.

" _Mer_ -lin" Arthur drawled through gritted teeth "Do you think it's possible for you to make any _more_ noise? You'd think that after almost ten years of this sort of thing you would have finally learned how to walk _quietly_!"

"Oh, I'm sorry sire." Merlin quipped back "Am I breathing to loudly too? How about thinking? Would you like me to try and quiet my thoughts as well?"

"I'd call that impossible since it would require you to actually _have_ thoughts." Arthur snipped "And I'd settle for you not crashing about like a drunken Percival. You don't see me making enough noise to alert the next kingdom of our presence."

"Well _excuse_ me for not….."But whatever Merlin had been about to say was lost as the wind was knocked out of him when Arthur tackled him to the ground. An arrow embedded it's self in the tree next to where Merlin's head had just been.

"Bandits!" Arthur hissed, rolling off of Merlin and drawling his sword.

Merlin rolled his eyes. _Of course_ there were bandits.

He tried to sneak around and find a good spot to take cover and help Arthur out magically, but the bandits had somehow surrounded them on all sides and were attacking from every angle. With no real weapon of his own, Merlin was forced to pick up a stray piece of a log and use it as a club. They were far outnumbered and the enemies kept coming in quick secession.

Merlin glanced over and was horrified to see out of the corner of his eye that no less than ten well-armed men were swarming at Arthur, far more than the king could hope to defend against. Sure enough not a moment later one of the attackers lunged and his blade nicked the king's ribcage, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Arthur!" Merlin called out. Something about his friends cry activated something in his subconscious and his magic answered. Without even thinking about it, Merlin lashed out and threw all of the bandits who were packed around Arthur into the air. Most crashed into trees with enough force to break bones but a few tumbled away into the dirt somewhat unharmed.

Dead silence fell throughout the clearing as every soul still alive stopped what they were doing to stare at Merlin.

"Sorcerer!" One of the men closer to him hissed at Merlin with distain and fear. Merlin wanted to roll his eyes. _Way to state the obvious_.

Then the bandits were running, fleeing for their lives in a chaotic frenzy, leaving their dead and wounded to fend for themselves.

All the while Arthur stared at him with wide eyes, a hand pressed to his injured side and his back against a tree. Merlin barely even noticed the bandits, except to process that they were no longer a threat. His immediate concern was for Arthur's wellbeing, and he let out a sigh of relief when he realized the cut to the king's side really was no more than a scratch. It was bleeding, but so long as they cleaned and bandaged it quickly, it wouldn't be a problem. Then the magnitude of what had just happened hit him.

Arthur knew. Oh god, Arthur knew.

The King drew his sword and leveled it at his manservant's throat. Merlin dropped to his knees and looked up at Arthur with big blue eyes swollen with tears.

"Please, Arthur Wait, just wait!" he cried, trying to quiet the growing rage building up within the king. The look in his eyes was a look Merlin had seen twice before, but never directed at him.

"No!" Arthur screamed back angrily "I thought…. I thought you were my friend! _I thought I knew you,_ _Merlin_!"

"You DO know me!" Merlin screamed back in frustration. Arthur was probably the person who knew him best, better even than Gaius in some ways. He didn't know about the magic or the finer points of his life, but he knew _him_.

"No, no, I've never known anything about you. It was all a lie, wasn't it!? You manipulated me, just like Morgana! I bet you're probably in league with her too, huh? Probably have been from the beginning!"

"I am _nothing_ like Morgana! And I would _never_ join her! You are my _king_ , Arthur!" Merlin swore to him "Everything I am, magic included, has and always will obey only you!"

"Liar!" Arthur hissed flinging his sword down at the ground in frustration. "You are nothing but a _liar_ and I wish I had never met you!"

He stormed off into the woods and left the devastated Merlin behind.

Unbeknownst to Arthur, the very spirit they had been hunting heard his words and rubbed her hands together with glee.

"As you wish, Young King." She whispered "As you wish"

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 **Yeah, I know this plot line has probably already been done before, but I couldn't resist. I've finished at least the next chapter, so that will be up soon.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 1

**I was going to wait to publish this chapter because I've barely started the next one, but it was burning a hole in my hard drive and I couldn't help myself. Thanks for reading!**

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 _Chapter 1_

Arthur stormed through the woods, his hand pressed to his bleeding side, and tried to regain control of his emotions. He had never felt so angry in his life. Not when Morgana betrayed them, not when Morgause had tricked him into thinking those things about his father, not when he'd caught Guinevere with Lancelot. Nothing had made him feel this angry, but as he charged off farther away from Merlin the real source of his anger started to reveal itself.

He was afraid.

No, it was more than that. He, King Arthur Pendragon, was absolutely terrified. His whole body shook with the strength of it. Merlin had magic, and that meant that he had lost him. He had lost Merlin, the one person who had always had faith in him. Merlin was the catalyst that made him who he was. Merlin had a hand in shaping practically everything Arthur defined himself as, in every truth and value Arthur held dear. And he had lost him to magic, just like he had lost everyone else in his life.

Who was he supposed to be without Merlin?

Arthur had been charging at full speed through the woods, not thinking about or caring where he was going when suddenly the smell of smoke hit him. He looked up to see a dark plume sticking up out of the tree line to the north, in the direction of the village they had pasted on the way in.

Despite the state of turmoil his emotions were in, he was still the king and fire was a very bad thing for his people, so he started running toward the smoke. As he drew closer the sounds of people screaming in panic urged him to run faster.

He broke through the tree line and came face to face with a wall of bright orange flames.

Men on horseback were riding through the fields with torches in their hands, lighting the crops on fire, their faces hidden behind dark masks. More men on foot were lighting the houses on fire. Nearby villagers screamed and fled from their homes.

Arthur was enraged. How dare these men attack his people? Burn their homes? He drew his sword and lashed out at one of the men on foot, but he had forgotten about his injured side. His opponent was not very skilled, but reacted on instinct and blocked Arthur's downswing with the torch in his hand. When Arthur fell to the ground clutching his side, startled by the sudden pain, the man raised the torch to take advantage of the opportunity and strike. He stopped suddenly when the light illuminated the Kings face, giving him a good look.

"Arthur?" The man questioned breathily, like he couldn't believe his own eyes. Before Arthur could respond the man reached down and took off his mask. Arthur gaped at him.

"George?!" Arthur hissed is astonishment. What in the hell was the mild mannered servant doing here? Why was he lighting people's houses on fire? Did everyone in Arthur's life secretly live a double life?

George blinked a couple times and shook his head to confirm to himself that Arthur was in fact really there. Around them the men on horseback had deemed their damage done and were galloping away into the night, the men on foot following closely after.

"Sire, we have to go now, before the queens guards come!" George shouted over the mayhem. He grabbed Arthurs arm and tried to drag him in the direction the others were disappearing to, but Arthur jerked away.

"No! I demand an explanation right now! What is the meaning of this?" The King commanded.

George glanced around, quickly realizing they were running out of time.

"I'm sorry about this, sire." He apologized sincerely. But before Arthur even had time to question what exactly the servant was apologizing for, George took the end of his torch and wacked Arthur hard on the side of the head. The king had just enough time to be astounded that he had just been he'd been hit by _George_ before he slipped into unconsciousness.

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When Arthur woke up, the first thought in his head was- _oh gods, I got knocked out by_ _ **George**_ _._ But the second was to cautiously try and figure out where he was.

He was lying on a cot set up inside a tent. His wounds had been tended too, but when he tried to stand up he was stopped by a copper shackle tethering him to his cot. Also, his head _really_ hurt.

George was soooo getting fired. He'd never liked the man's brass jokes anyway.

Just then the flap at the front of the tent opened and an armored figure walked in. His thick beard and the long scar across on eye made him harder to recognize, but when he did, Arthur let out a sigh of relief.

"Leon!" He exclaimed, and the other man jumped a little at the sound of his voice. "What is going on here? Why am I chained up?"

His knight just stared at him, as if he couldn't quite believe his eyes.

"Remarkable." He uttered softly "You really do look just like him, but you're a little older than him"

"Than who?" Arthur demanded.

"Arthur Pendragon." Leon said calmly.

" _Sir_ Leon," Arthur said, using his best 'king voice'. He'd had quiet enough of all this. "You know damn well that I _am_ Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot! And I demand you let me go right now and explain what the hell is going on or I will strip you of your knighthood and put you on post in the Northern Plains!"

Leon did not look intimidated by Arthur's threats in the least. He actually snorted a bit of a laugh.

"Will you now?" He mocked (actually mocked! _Leon_!) "See, I have a few problems with that, the first being that I was already stripped of my knighthood. The second being that Arthur Pendragon died almost ten years ago."

"What?" Arthur breathed stunned.

"I saw the knife enter his heart with my own eyes. I attended his funeral. I don't know who you are, but you are not Prince Arthur." Leon hissed, then moved to leave the tent, their conversation evidently done.

"Wait! Wait! Leon, it's me!" Arthur begged, disturbed by the hateful look his most loyal knight was throwing his way. "I can prove it! _Bessy_!"

Leon stopped just before he got to the tent flap. An incredulous look crossed his face as he turned around to look at Arthur.

"What did you say?"

"Bessy! It was the name of the mare you used to ride when you were a squire for Sir Aldrich. When I was seven, I ordered you to let me ride her even though I'd never ridden on my own before."

Leon turned fully around to face Arthur, his jaw dropping in amazement.

"I fell off almost as soon as I got on" Arthur continued "and even though I wasn't hurt, I was scared and I cried. You comforted me and promised never to tell my father. Never to tell anyone."

"I didn't" Leon murmured in wonder "I never told a soul, and I know Arthur never told anyone…."

"Of course not! I didn't want anyone to think me weak." Arthur confirmed, knowing he was convincing Leon.

"Arthur? What magic is this?" The former knight grunted, amazed.

"I would like to know the answer to that just as much as you."

Leon considered him carefully before coming to a decision.

"Fine." He said, moving over and unlocking the cuff that restricted Arthur. "I'll release you until we figure this out, but if I see one sign that we can't trust you….."

"I understand." Arthur nodded, rubbing his wrist where the cuff had been. "Where are we?"

"The Western forest just past Camelot's border" Leon said, he opened the tent flap and Arthur followed him out, getting a view of their camp site for the first time. Tents enough to house an army were set up in a small clearing as the sounds of men preparing for battle echoed around. Someone was sharpening a sword and the sound of metal on metal as men practiced their sword play. But what really struck him was the colors of the banners flying about them.

"Sarrum." Arthur said with outrage. He turned an accusing eye on Leon. "You work for _Sarrum_?"

"Yes. But don't worry, he's not here. I'm in charge of the Camelot branch of his army." Leon said calmly.

" _Why_!?"

"Because it's the only way we have a chance of winning the war on magic." Leon snapped back. "I don't like the man much either, but he's the only one whose managed to unite the forces who oppose the evils of magic. If we have any hope of defeating the Queen, then it's with Sarrums support."

"The Queen?" Arthur asked with dread, although he already knew the answer before Leon spoke.

"Queen Morgana Pendragon of Camelot. She sized the throne almost eight years ago, and has rained terror down upon the kingdom ever since."

"Of course she has." Arthur muttered bitterly. Inside he was seething. Somehow this had been Morgana, she had made it so that everything was different. She had somehow cursed Arthur to have been killed years ago.

"She kills any who stand up to her and cares not for the welfare of her people." Leon said with disgust. A man in the distance waved to get Leon's attention and he nodded to him. Gesturing for Arthur to follow him, Leon walked and continued talking. "But despite her cruelty, we are not defenseless. The people fight back whenever they can, and we have a spy placed within her court to inform us of her movements. Just yesterday we sent out a brigade of one hundred men to attack her stronghold just north of here. We will not bow down to the tyranny of magic!"

As Leon made his declaration, he led Arthur to where a crowd was gathering in front of a raised platform with a pole at its center. Wood was being stacked against its base.

"There will always be those who believe in the system of justice King Uther set about. Here is a demonstration. Soon, two more sorcerers will know justice as the flames send them back to the hell in which they belong."

The hateful way Leon spat out the words turned Arthur's stomach. He should be happy about the idea of sorcerers getting justice for their crimes, but all he could think of was Merlin. How it could be Merlin up there on the pyre and how utterly devastating it would be to lose him in such a way.

Arthur was ripped away from his thoughts as two young children, a small boy and a slightly older girl, were led onto the platform and latched to the post in the center with heavy chains.

"What's the meaning of this?" Arthur demanded. He felt like he was saying that a lot these days.

"I told you sire," Leon said calmly. "We're burning sorcerers,"

"But" Arthur protested "they're just children!"

Leon looked at him coldly as he explained.

"Their father was a sorcerer, possibly a warlock. We've been able to figure out that if one of the parents is a witch or warlock, meaning they developed their powers naturally, then the children have one and three chance of also developing those powers."

"One in three?" Arthur questioned, disturbed "You mean you don't even know if they have magic? You could be executing innocent children!"

"It's a risk we have to take." Leon said, narrowing his eyes at Arthur "How do you think we are going to win the war on magic? How else are we supposed to insure the safety of our children? Or our children's children? The only way they have a chance is if we exterminate those who are born with it and prevent anyone from ever studying the evil craft again. Only then can magic itself finally die."

He turned back to the children on the pyre who had started to cry. Without even flinching he gave the signal and several men dipped their torches down, lighting the dry wood beneath the children's feet.

"This is wrong." Arthur breathed, horrified by the sight in front of him.

"This is the way it is." Leon scolded. He turn to look Arthur in the eyes "The Prince Arthur I knew understood this. I was with him as he led attacks on the druids, as he killed druid children. I don't know who you are or what your intent is by taking his face, but I assure you, I intend to find out."

There was a threat in Leon's voice and Arthur couldn't get over how bizarre it was. He had known Leon most of his life, and not once had he seen the knight even be disrespectful to him. He knew Leon didn't agree with everything he did, but he had always been subtle about expressing those reservations. Leon threatening him was a whole new level of bizarre.

"Leon!" A familiar voice called out. Arthur's jaw dropped as Eyan ran over to meet them. The dark skinned man didn't spare Arthur a glance but the king couldn't stop staring at his dead brother-in-law. Here he stood, alive and well as the last time he had seen him.

"The brigade has returned." Elyan told Leon, and led him back toward the tent where Arthur had woken up. Arthur followed after them.

Once inside the tent, they waited. It wasn't long before four men, George being the only one he recognized, carried in the massive body of a wounded man. As the turn, Arthur caught sight of the man's face and once again got a shock as he recognized another of his knights.

Percival's left eye was swollen shut and he had severe burns on a large part of his body. The big man winced in pain as they lay him down on the same small cot that Arthur had woken up on. Leon knelt at his side as he questioned him.

"What happened? Where are the rest of the men?"

"They're dead. They're all dead!" Percival moaned, then erupted into a fit of coughs that brought blood to his lips. Even Arthur could tell he didn't have much time left to live.

"At first it seemed deserted." The big man choked out in a hoarse voice "Then as we approached the stronghold, a lone figure walked out into the middle of the road blocking our path. His face was hidden behind his cloak and we couldn't see…..oh god! We couldn't see!" Percival squeezed his eyes shut tight and shook his head trying to banish the horrifying images that paraded across the back of his eyelids.

"What happened, man?!" Leon insisted again, bringing Percival back to the present.

"It was him" the big man whispered "It was Emrys."

There was a collective inhale of horror from the men inside the tent while Arthur looked around confused.

"He started throwing men into the air like rag-dolls, not even saying a word. Bodies were tossed high into the trees and came crashing down on other men. And then….then his hands lit fire and he hurled white hot flames at us. There was no escape."

"You're lucky to be alive" Leon told him sincerely, resting a comforting hand on Percival's shoulder. But the bear of a man shook his head.

"After the battle was over, barely after it had begun, he started picking through the bodies, turning them over and checking for life. When he saw I was still alive, he hoisted me up and looked into me. His golden eyes were so cold, it was like he was looking into my soul. He told me…He told me 'Go back to your people and tell them never to threaten my queen again.' And then he let me go….."

Percival's head fell back onto the cot and his eyes weld up with tears. He was completely overwhelmed by his experience. Arthur had never seen him show so much emotion. He watched George look over the man and then look to Leon with a small shake of his head. Percival would not survive his injuries.

Arthur wanted to detach himself. He wanted to believe that the man dying in front of him was not one of his knights, it was someone completely different, but he couldn't quite convince himself.

Leon, understanding that there was nothing more that could be done, squeezed Percival's shoulder and whispered "Get some rest" to him before leaving. He grabbed Arthur's arm on the way out and dragged him away. Elyan went with them.

"I don't understand" Arthur said, trying to regain his sense of regality after the shock "one man did that? One man kill over one hundred men?"

"Not a man," Leon corrected "Emrys. He's a monster. Morgana's pet monster in fact. A warlock of unbelievable power. He's her trump card, the entire reason she was able to take power. And we have no answer to his brutality."

Leon sighed and ran his hands through his hair with frustration.

"But if he's just one sorcerer, surely…" Arthur protested, but Leon interrupted him.

"He's not a sorcerer, he's warlock. He was born with magic, it floods through his veins like blood flows through ours. Some say he is the most powerful warlock that has ever been born or ever will be."

"If he's that strong, why does he serve Morgana? Why not seize the thrown for himself?" Arthur asked.

"It all started not long after your….death" Leon explained, stumbling a little over the word. "Uther was obsessed with eradicating magic. He had already instigated a second purge, far bloodier than the first. When we received word of a sorcerer living near a small village just past the boarder, he sent a patrol to investigate. What they found was Emrys, standing in a field of dead bodies. He was covered in blood and his eyes were still glowing. Naturally he was arrested and taken to Camelot where the king sentenced him to burn the next morning."

Leon sighed again, this time much wearier.

"We don't know exactly how it happened, but apparently Morgana snuck down into the dungeons and struck a deal with him. A literal deal with the devil. She promised to release him on the condition that he….Murder your father."

Arthur sucked in a quick breath through his teeth and his hands clenched at his sides.

"This man killed my father?" He managed to choke out.

"I heard he snuck up to the king's bedroom and ripped his heart out of his chest while he slept." Elyan interjected, but was silenced by a scathing look from Leon.

"It was nothing of the sort!" He corrected harshly. He then turned to Arthur and said softly, remembering "I was one of the men who found him. I'd never seen such a peaceful look on the Kings' face….we didn't even realize he had been murdered until later. Morgana hardly waited a day before crowing herself queen, and her first act was to legalize magic. Her second was to reveal her new 'adviser': _Emry_ s."

"But why does he serve her?" Arthur asked again, struggling to understand.

"Because he has to." Elyan explained "I don't know how she did it, but she somehow convinced him to wear two enchanted cuffs that bind him to her will. He has to do whatever she tells him."

Arthur wanted to ask more questions, but he was interrupted as a scream pierced the air. All three men rushed toward the sound, and quickly realized their camp was under attack. The thunder of hooves and the battle cries of enemy soldiers wearing the golden pendragon emblem surrounded them on all sides.

Arthur quickly scooped up a stray sword and joined the fray of battle, his subconscious was prickling uncomfortably every time he struck down an opponent wearing the crest of his own house. He had to remind himself that these were Morgana's men, not his. He wound up fighting alongside both Elyan and Leon, which felt right, familiar. Even so, Leon's rebel forces were dropping like flies, overwhelmed by superior numbers. It was a fight they were not going to win.

A knight in full armor came charging out of the woods with his lance lowered. He charged at Arthur, who was pushed out of the way by a quick thinking Leon. Elyan was not so lucky, and the lance skewered him right through the stomach and launching him backward into a tree. Tossing his bloodied and broken lance aside, the rider slid down from his horse in front of Elyan. The dark skinned man was gurgling blood out the corner of his lips and yet still managed to look up at the approaching knight defiantly. The knight drew his sword and in one swift motion slit Elyan's throat, bringing his death quickly.

"No!" Leon shouted and charged at the knight, who raised his sword just in time to parry the attack. Leon and the man in full armor fought, and as they fought Arthur couldn't help but notice that there was something familiar about the way the armored man moved, but his mind rebelled against what it was telling him, preoccupied with the horror of Elyans sudden death.

While Leon's attention was focused on attacking Elyan's killer, a second man snuck up and wrapped an arm around Leons' throat. Arthur didn't see the knife go in the first time, but he saw the man stab his longtime friend and loyal knight several more times in the back and kidneys before letting Leon's' body fall to the ground. It was a cowards attack.

Arthur charged, rage surging through his whole body, until the man turned around to meet him. Arthur felt like the wind had been knocked right out of him and he froze where he was, unable to fully process what it was he was seeing, what it meant.

"Gwaine?" He stuttered breathlessly. No, it couldn't be.

But it _was_ Gwaine. Long brown hair and roughish good looks hard set and watching Arthur cautiously, but still holding the bloody knife he had just finished thrusting into Leon's' back repeatedly. He stopped and squinted at Arthur suspiciously at the sound of his own name.

"Do you know him?" The armored knight asked Gwaine in a horribly familiar voice, lifting his visor. Arthur felt like he'd been punched in the stomach.

It was Lancelot.

Arthur shook his head, hoping to clear his mind of what had to be a hallucination. He took a step back. It couldn't be real. It couldn't. The sight of Lancelot alone brought up so many horrible memories for him, and now he had to grapple with the fact that he had just witnessed the man kill Arthur's brother-in-law.

And as always, the thought of Lancelot brought back the image of him kissing Guinevere, and that was what pushed Arthur over the edge.

He lashed out at Lancelot viciously, and the armored man barely had time to raise his sword to protect himself. Arthur slashed and stabbed at him, his sword grazing the metal armor several times, his anger fueling his ferocity. Lancelot was slower, encumbered by the heavy armor, but he was by no mean unable to hold his own against the king. They battled and danced in between the fallen bodies of Leon and Elyan, both waiting for the other to make a mistake, until it happened. Lancelot tripped and fell backwards, his sword skidding away from him just out of reach. Arthur stood over him and prepared to plunge his sword into his onetime friend's heart…

Then Arthur's eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the ground. Behind him Gwaine twirled his knife in his hands and looked down at the unconscious king where he lay after hitting him over the head with the hilt of the knife.

"Thanks," Lancelot said, getting to his feet. "Why didn't you kill him?"

"We're going to need someone to bring to the Queen for interrogation."

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 **Alright, let me know if any of that was too confusing. I'm planning to explain most of it in later chapters. No idea when the next update will be, like I said I've just started the next chapter. Thank you to those of you who like/ reviewed- makes me feel all tingly inside! (seriously though, I might have a problem)**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yeah, okay sorry this is so short. I'm trying out smaller chapters but more frequent updates. Let's see how that works. Also, I know I got a bit flowery on the language. sorry, feel free to call me out on it.**

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When Arthur woke up, his first thought was that his head hurt. Again. He was no stranger to being knocked unconscious by head injuries, but this was getting a little ridiculous!

Then the throbbing in his head dissipated enough for him to recognize that he was in the back of a cart. Closer inspection revealed he was also chained to said cart. Again. He was starting to see a disturbing pattern in these sequence of events.

"Well, well," a jolly voice called out from next to him. "Look who's finally awake. Sleep well, princess?"

"Shut up, Gwaine." Arthur ordered automatically. The strange events from before suddenly rushed back to him and his gaze shot over to the dark haired man sitting next to him.

"There you go using my name again…."Gwaine muttered thoughtfully, never taking his gaze off of Arthur "I was going to ask you about that. We've not met before, have we?"

"Gwaine," Arthur tried, not even bothering to keep the desperation out of his voice. He was at his wits end. "It's me. It's Arthur!"

"Arthur who?" Gwaine asked, not a trace of recognition crossing his face "I'm afraid I don't know any Arthurs."

"King Arthur! I'm your king, you're my knight! Please, you _have_ to remember. Morgana's done something, she's cast some sort of spell and changed history!"

"Ohh!" Gwaine laughed and turned to the armored man riding behind the cart on his horse. "Did you hear that Lance? Apparently I'm a knight!"

"Leave the poor man alone, Gwaine." Lancelot replied tiredly. "He's obviously either a simpleton or not in his right mind. I blame the blow you gave him."

"Simpleton? How dare you!" Arthur seethed.

"Yes, a simpleton!" Lancelot snapped back. "Because only a fool would speak with such open disrespect for the queen. A word of advice my friend, learn to hold your tongue."

"I am not your friend." Arthur narrowed his eye in contempt.

Gwaine laughed out loud at Arthur's hostility.

"Looks like we got a feisty one!" He said "It's almost a shame, given how her majesty's pet will break him."

The blood drained from Arthur's face as he put two and two together.

"You both work for Morgana?" he nearly screamed, fury and confusion and righteous betrayal like a haze clouding his thoughts.

Lancelot and Gwaine didn't answer, but shared a look that was answer enough.

" _Why_?!" Arthur seethed. These men were not his knights, not the men he knew, but it still hurt to think of them loyal to Morgana; she that represented everything opposite of what Arthur stood for.

"Well, its money for me, isn't it?" Gwaine stated calmly with a shrug and a flick of his hair. "Queen pays better than anyone else in the land, and a man's got to put food on the table."

"The Gwaine I knew would never have sold out his sword like some lowly mercenary." Arthur barked at him. "He is a noble man who would never support an unjust leader!"

Gwaine laughed again, but this time it was cold and cynical. The unnatural sound made the hairs on the back of Arthur's neck stand on end.

"Nobility is a fantasy of fools or the self-promotion of those in power." Gwaine said bitterly. "And as for an unjust leader, no matter what Queen Morgana does, she will never be as bad as her father. I was there, I saw the piles of bodies burning in Uther's pyres. What I saw during the second purge was enough to convince me there is no such thing as a just or noble leader. You don't know me. So stop pretending you do."

Arthur gulped, shocked at the acrimonious tone and the conviction burning in Gwaine's eyes. He wanted to protest, wanted to defend his father; but the images of the two children burning under Leon's orders made him bite his tongue. The ferocity in Gwaine's gaze left him with little doubt the he was telling the truth. His will to meet Gwaine's hostility and fight back drained out of him. Arthur _had_ to fix this. He _had_ to make things go back to the way they were.

"And you?" Arthur asked Lancelot, almost fearing the answer. "Why do you serve Morgana?"

"Love." The armored man answered so quietly he was barely heard over the clatter of the horse's hooves and rattling of the cart.

"Her majesty and I struck a deal many years ago." Lancelot explained a little louder "She allowed me to wed the woman I love in exchange for my service to her. As long as I obey the queen, I know my wife will be safe."

The second he saw the stupid, love struck expression on Lancelot's face Arthur knew who the women he spoke of was. Something deep within him twisted and coiled with jealousy at the thoughts of Lancelot calling Guinevere his wife, but he was too afraid of his suspicions being confirmed to ask anything further.

For a while they rode in silence, creeping along the road and getting ever closer to Camelot. To Morgana.

"Why didn't you kill me? You killed the others." Arthur asked at last, his thoughts stuck on the brutal way Leon and Elyan had died.

"Had to take somebody back for the queen to interrogate, didn't we?" Gwaine said. "Mind you, not that she'll be the one actually doing the messy bit. Nope, she'll leave that part to Emrys." Gwaine's lips curled up with contempt as he spoke the name.

"Emrys?" Arthur asked, remember the terrifying tale Percival had told right before he died. The king shuttered at the thought of coming face to face with such a monster. He remembered the term Leon had used back in the camp. "He's her _warlock_?"

"He's her lapdog, and a creepy bastard at that." Gwaine said and Lancelot shot him a warning glare. "What? He is! You can't tell me you're not just as much creeped out by him!"

"I'll admit Lord Emrys can be a bit….unnerving." Lancelot confessed "But you shouldn't speak about him with such disrespect! The man has enough power to rip us apart with a single thought!"

"Oh, would you relax." Gwaine rolled his eyes "The dog's on a leash, he can't do anything without Her Majesties permission."

"Although, I certainly don't wouldn't want to be in your position right about now…"Gwaine said with a malicious wink to Arthur. The king looked around and suddenly noticed they were entering the city. Soon he would be once again standing before his sister as she sat on his throne, as well as meeting her mysterious warlock Emrys.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 3

They dragged him into the throne room with his arms bound and dropped him callously at the foot of the throne. He forced his way up onto his feet and looked up.

There she was. Not wild haired and matted like he'd recently seen her, but well-groomed and regal like he remembered from their youth. She wore a vivid blood red dress with her raven hair in elegant braids held in place by a jeweled crown. And yet, despite her glamorous appearance there was still a hint of madness behind her eyes that had not changed.

Her eyes widened and she was pulled to her feet by an invisible force at the sight of him, shock adorning her beautiful features.

"Arthur?" Morgana breathed in disbelief. She ghosted down the few steps until she stood right in front of him. Cautiously, she reach out and touched his cheek, recoiling when she realized he was solid.

"My god," She whispered, stunned. "You're _real!_ "

Then without warning she hugged him.

Arthur was so shocked that he froze, his brain unable to comprehend the loving embrace, unable to reconcile it with the witch who made his life a living hell. When she pulled away Arthur was further amazed to see there were tears in her eyes.

"Arthur! Oh, my _brother_ , did you know we're siblings?" She spluttered, flustered. "Uther was my father as well. He never told anyone, not untill….." She trailed off suddenly putting two and two together, reconciling her own memories with the man who stood before her. She took a step back, instantly distrustful.

"But, you're dead! I watched you die! How is this possible?"

"Don't play innocent Morgana." Arthur accused coldly, doing his best to stay in control of his emotions. "I know you're responsible."

The bejeweled sorceress recoiled like she'd been struck.

"What are you taking about?"

"Your magic did this!" Arthur snapped, gesturing around the hall at all of the wrongness, at Lancelot and Gwaine waiting obediently behind him, at his own harried condition. But even as Arthur spoke, he found himself suddenly doubtful. Morgana seemed genuinely surprised to see him and appeared to have no memory of the rightful timeline.

Her demeanor suddenly turned cold and vicious, a nasty sneer much more reminiscent of the Morgana Arthur had come to know dawning her features.

"So, you know of my magic?" She asked, her voice like ice water "And I assume you still hold with our fathers archaic views?"

Arthur didn't say anything. It was far too soon after his discovery of Merlin's magic, he hadn't even asked himself what the revelation had done to his opinion of the dark art. What he did know was the hateful way Morgana was looking at him, and magic or not he knew when someone was hungry for power. Magic or not, her soul was far beyond any hope of redemption.

"Well, you're wrong. I have done nothing." She spat, voice suddenly harsh. "But this does have the hand of magic in it, and I will get to the bottom of it!"

She snapped her fingers imperiously at Lancelot.

"You. Find me Lord Emrys."

Lancelot bowed and left the room.

Arthur was still reeling from her 180 personality change as her eyes flashed gold. He yelped in pain as her magic acted, forcing him back onto his knees and at her mercy.

"Who sent you? Why are you here?" Morgana barked "Have you come to overthrow me? You have, haven't you? My enemies think I would show you mercy because you are my brother? Well they were wrong!"

Her madness suddenly showed, front and center. Spit flew from her lips and her face coiled with a vicious expression, replacing the shocked and loving sister that had been there only minutes ago. Arthur was abruptly reminded of his father. Never before had he seen the resemblance between the two, but here, on the seat of power and perceiving a threat, the likeness was clear.

"I am queen! Do you hear me? _Queen_! And no one, not even you Arthur Pendragon, is going to take away what is rightfully mine _. I. Am. Queen_!"

She was interrupted as the double doors at the entrance swung open without assistance. For a moment, Arthur was confused as to how the doors had managed to open on their own, before the very last person he had expected strode confidently into the room.

Merlin was the same as he'd always been, but different at the same time. Instead of his simple servants' clothes, he wore a fine blue tunic fit for a noble with silver embroidery along the hems. His hair had a slightly different cut to it, but the most noticeable change was in his eyes. They had a sad, defeated look hiding behind them that was never been present in the Merlin Arthur knew.

Merlin walked strait up to Morgana and fell respectfully to one knee at her feet. Arthur didn't miss the way Gwaine took a step away from the dark haired man, a look of disgust on his face.

"You summoned me, my queen?" Merlin purred dutifully. Arthur was hit with the strangest pang of jealously because Merlin had never spoken to _him_ with such respect.

"Ah, Emrys" Morgana purred, her rage disappearing instantly. She pulled Merlin to his feet and drew him in close to her with the direction of a single finger under his chin. When he got close enough, her hand snaked its way around the side of his head and buried its self in the back of his hair, pulling him closer still. Their lips met softly at first, them more vigorously as Merlin kissed her back.

Arthur's eyebrows shot up into his hairline and his mouth dropped open. It had been a very weird few days, where he'd found out his manservant had magic, been knocked out twice (once by George!), seen three of his knights die in front of his eyes, and had somehow entered a world where he had supposedly died ten years ago. And yet, _this_ was by far the _weirdest_ thing he had ever seen. It was on a level beyond anything he could even imagine. It was incomprehensible.

 _Merlin_ was _kissing_ his _sister_!

Not only that, but Arthur glanced over and saw Gwaine eyeing the two of them with clinched fists and what could only be described as a look of jealously. It all was just too much!

"I think I'm going to be sick." Arthur muttered and leaned over supporting his hands on his knees.

The couple broke apart and Morgana scowled at him again while Merlin eyed him with open curiosity.

"Arthur, allow me to introduce to you my court sorcerer, Lord Emrys." The malicious way she said the name left little doubt that it was supposed to inspire fear into Arthur's heart.

He blinked at her, then looked at Merlin. Surely not, Merlin couldn't be the monster Percival spoke of on his death bed. He couldn't be the one Lancelot and Gwaine had whispered about, the powerful sorcerer that obeyed Morgana's every whim.

The thought made Arthur suddenly very angery, because he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Merlin wasn't capable of such atrocities. Not unless Morgana had corrupted him, used and manipulated him into it. The dark haired man before him may look cleaner and better-kept than his Merlin, but he knew that deep down he was battered and bruised. All his anger at Merlin and his magic that he'd been carrying around since he found out was replaced by a protective anger and a determination to make sure his friend came to no more harm.

For his part, Merlin watched the strange blond man's reaction carefully. He had fully expected him to cower away at recognition of his name, as most people did. But instead there was nothing but fury, which would not have been that unusual, except it wasn't directed at him. Instead the strange blond man was glaring at Morgana in a way that made the sorcerer take a protective step closer to his queen.

Morgana ignored the glare and finished her introductions.

"Emrys, this is my brother, recently returned from the dead Arthur Pendragon."

Merlin's eyebrows shot upward as he appraised the blond man in a new light. So this was Arthur Pendragon, the man whose death spawned the bloodshed of thousands and a never ending war within the kingdom.

"Interrogate him, find out who sent him and anything else he knows." Morgana ordered. "And show him no mercy because he is my brother."

Merlin sighed inwardly, saddened by her coldness but also resigned to it. He bowed his head to her and said softly

"Yes, your majesty."

Gwaine stepped forward and attempted to grab a hold of Arthur to haul him off, but Arthur fought him and escaped long enough to reach out.

"Wait, Merlin!" He yelled and grabbed for Merlin's wrist. The first thing he noticed was the silver cuff on Merlin's arm decorated with glowing runes that was obviously magic. Then his gaze slid up to meet Merlin's eyes just in time to see them flare bright gold. Arthur was thrown backward through the air with an incredible amount of force. He was temporarily weightless in the air before he came crashing down onto the stone floor, knocking him unconscious for a _third_ time!

Gwaine rushed to make sure he was still living, and relayed the information to the queen.

"Then get him out of here, take him to lord Emrys' workshop." She ordered, before rounding on the stunned sorcerer at her side. "You fool! What were you thinking? You could have killed him before we got any information out of him!"

"I-I'm sorry." Merlin stammered, glancing between his arm and the limp Arthur being dragged from the room. "H-he….he knew my name!"  
"What?"

"He knew my name, my _real_ name! No one's called me that since Eldor. How did he…." He trailed off, a little scared. Not only had the Stanger called him by a name he hadn't heard in nearly ten years, but he had also reached out and touched him. Merlin had assumed he meant to attack him, but the touch hadn't seamed malicious, more like he was just trying to get his attention. His reaction with magic had been instinctual. _No one_ touched him, except Morgana. Everyone was too afraid to even be near him, touch was out of the question.

"Oh, right. I forgot you used to be called something else." Morgana drawled "What was it? Marvin? Myrddin?"

"Merlin." He corrected, slightly annoyed at her dismissal of its importance.

"Right, well I guess it's something you can ask him about during your interrogation."

"Yeah," Merlin agreed, a chill going up his spine as he stared at the empty doorway through which Arthur had disappeared, "I'll do that."

* * *

 **Yay! Ch 3 done! I know it's short, and I'm sorry. I have a chapter outline for each one I want to do and some of them end of being a lot shorter or longer than I think. I'm really glad people are into this story, it's kind of different than my usual. Anyway, let me know what you think**!


	5. Chapter 4

**Sorry, more short ones. Currently this story will be 9 chapters total, but I may split one of them up.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Arthur woke to a splitting headache, pain radiating from the back of his head down his spine. The world was blurry as he blinked his eyes open and he immediately felt nauseous. Somewhere nearby a flame was flickering brightly and Arthur reached up to try and shield his eyes from the light, only to discover he was once again in restraints. This time, he was shackled to what looked like a cave wall.

Even though it was dead quite, he had the odd sensation that he was being watched. Suddenly alert, his eyes darted upward and met with a familiar pair of similarly blue ones across the room.

Merlin was lounged across an armchair with his feet up on an ornate desk, staring at him while still dressed in his nice clothes from before. Thick metal bars separated them, and while Arthur's half of the room was quite bare, Merlin's was decorated somewhat lavishly. There were layers and layers of bookshelves packed to the brink and even more books strewn messily across the floor along with other magical looking odds and ends. It reminded Arthur a little of Gaius' workroom. However unlike Gaius's chambers, there were no windows and Arthur quickly observed that this was because they were in a cave. A cavern really, as behind Merlin the ledge they were on dropped off into nothingness.

Arthur recognized it as the same cavern his father had once kept the imprisoned the great dragon in. However, it had certainly been modified since then.

"How are you feeling?" Merlin asked, almost sheepishly.

"Like I got thrown ten feet in the air by magic!" Arthur said with an irritated snort, "My head is killing me. Can't you just heal it with magic?"

Merlin's face looked surprised, and to be honest Arthur was a little surprised by his own words. He had never expected to actually ask Merlin to preform magic, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Arthur's number one priority from there on out was to figure out how to undo whatever had been done to his kingdom. And as unhappy as he was to admit it, the only way to do that likely involved magic.

"I'm actually not very good at healing spells." Merlin said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Then why did you?" Arthur asked a bit harshly, forgetting that the other man wasn't his Merlin, and wasn't likely to know that his tone was an invitation to banter.

"I was just…surprised." Merlin said honestly, with a shrug. He tilted his head and peered thoughtfully at the man on the other side of the bars. "How did you know my name?"

The king blinked at him, confused.

"My name! My real name!" Merlin huffed, getting to his feet and pacing over to the bars "I haven't been called Merlin in a very long time. How did you know it? Why aren't you scared of me!?"

Arthur stared at the other man, watching as he shifted almost nervously from foot to foot. He was looking at him with the same puzzled expression that Arthur had seen a thousand times before, the face Merlin made when Arthur did something 'pratish' or illogical in Merlin's mind. It was so familiar, Arthur almost smiled. He came to the instant conclusion that despite whatever warped hell of a reality they had been thrown into, that this man was still Merlin. Still his friend. And if anyone could help him put the world straight, it was Merlin.

"Because I know you. I've known you for over ten years, _Mer_ -lin." He stated, tagging on his own familiar moniker and using the same factual tone he would have used to say he was king, or that the sky was blue.

"Ten years?" Merlin scoffed. "I've never met you before in my life. You think me stupid enough to entertain these lies? "

"I'm not lying….."

"You are!"

" _Mer_ lin," Arthur growled, growing annoyed at the warlock's refusal to hear him out. Typical Merlin. "Listen to me! The world is wrong! This isn't how things are supposed to be…"

"Silence!" Merlin shouted with more authority than Arthur had ever heard from him. "I don't know you, and you don't know me. So drop the act." But Arthur wasn't about to start taking orders from anyone, especially not Merlin.

"I KNOW YOU!" He screamed, rattling his chains as he threw his hands up in exasperation. His mind desperately grasped for proof, for things he knew about Merlin. " _I know you_! I know your mother's name is Hunith and that you're from a village called Ealdor. I've been there, I've slept in your house, I've seen your farms. I know that you're annoyingly chipper in the mornings and that you can make a stew out of practically anything! I know you always forget to keep your sword up when you're fighting with a shield, I know that your handwriting looks like that of baby chickens'. I know you're clumsy, I know you're an idiot, and I know….I know that face, that one you're making right now means you're scared, Merlin, really scared."

Merlin did indeed look scared, or rather _spooked._ He looked like he wanted to run away from Arthur as fast as he could, but his feet wouldn't let him. His position of authority had evaporated and he was staring at Arthur like he was impossible.

"But more than anything, _Mer_ lin, I know you're my friend. The best friend I've ever had. So please, you idiot, just _listen_ to me. " Arthur finished with a confidant whisper.

There was silence as Merlin stared at him in shock, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. How was it possible? How could he know such intimate details about his life? Then the last thing Arthur said registered.

"Your _friend_?" Merlin narrowed his eyes at Arthur. He held his hands loosely at his sides and his eyes turned gold as an unnatural wind pulled at stray papers and fluttered with his clothes. "Do you have any idea how many people I've killed? How powerful I am? I could take you apart without even having to land a blow!"

But just like in the throne room with Morgana, instead of being afraid like Merlin had expected him to be, Arthur's reaction was surprising.

The blond king snorted a half a laugh, then smiled at him like he had just found another piece of a secret puzzle.

"So that's what you meant." He laughed to himself, then offered Merlin a smile.

"You're…..You're still not afraid of me?" Merlin asked, shocked.

Arthur looked entertained by the idea.

"Afraid _for_ you? Sometimes." He admitted, remembering his reaction when he first found out about the magic. "But Afraid _of_ you? Never."

He continued to smile confidently at the warlock, to Merlin's utter amazement. And indeed, his body language supported his words. He was relaxed and totally at ease in Merlin's presence.

"I could kill you in the blink of an eye." The warlock threatened.

"No. No you couldn't." Arthur stated with conviction. His eyes locked with the bright blue ones.

"You doubt my power?" Merlin scoffed.

"No," Arthur retorted, no misgivings in his words. "You can't because you _never_ would. You would _never_ do something like that. Not to me."

Merlin let out a humorless laugh "You think pretty highly of yourself…"

"No, I think highly of you." Arthur corrected. "I know you, and I know you hate killing. For any reason. But more than that, you would never intentionally harm me."

Merlin looked away and ran an exhausted hand through his hair.

"I don't even know you….."

"Yes, you do." Arthur said, and Merlin's eyes jumped back to meet his again.

They stared at each other for a long moment. The hair on the back of Merlin's neck stood on end at the conviction and pure trust in the blond man's face. No one had ever looked at him like that. No one had ever been that unafraid of him. Even in Ealdor, his mother had loved him, but even she to an extent had been afraid of his ultimate power.

Who was this stranger?

Merlin broke the eye contact and stormed away from the cell toward the long stairs leading upward.

"The only reason you're still alive is because my queen has not ordered your death yet!" He bellowed back at Arthur on his way out. He completely forgot any of the questions he was supposed to ask.

* * *

 _(Later that night)_

Merlin rolled to the side, breathing heavily as his head hit the pillow. Next to him Morgana cooed happily and snuggled deeper beneath the covers, pressing her ice cold feet against Merlin's warm legs (something she knew he hated). He watched her carefully as she buried into him to escape the cold night air.

"Are we friends?" He asked suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere.

"What?" she asked, startled, and raised herself up onto her elbows to look at him.

"Are you and I…. _friends_?" He asked again sheepishly.

"Of course we're friends." She clucked in a sickly sweet voice "I couldn't do without you."

He knew she was lying. He'd heard her use that voice to manipulate people a thousand times, and was a little insulted she actually thought he wouldn't recognize it.

Morgana frowned at Merlin's hard look and dropped the act.

"I'm the Queen, Emrys." She stated frankly "I don't have the luxury of _friends."_

Her words hurt, and as much as Merlin tried to hide it what he said next came out broken and a little pleading.

"Do you even like me?"

Morgana's lips turned up in a wicked sneer as she leaned in close to him.

"I like some parts of you more than others." She whispered in his ear, then leaned in to bite his neck hard enough to leave a bruise. Her fingers played with the silver shackles on his arms- a reminder of her hold on him.

But instead of leaning into her touch as he usually did, Merlin pulled away. Morgana's eyes flashed with fury at the rejection.

"Fine." She huffed, suddenly furious "If you're going to be like that, you can get out!"

"Morgana…."Merlin tried to pacify her, feeling the need to apologize but for what he wasn't exactly sure.

"Out!"

Merlin sighed and dragged himself out of the warmth of the bed and began collecting his clothes.

"Send Gwaine to me as you go." Morgana ordered. But Merlin was too downtrodden to even muster the little twinge of jealousy that usually came when Gwaine was summoned to her bed. He just bowed respectfully as he left and muttered.

"Yes, your majesty."

* * *

 **A/n: Okay, so I get people are either going to really like what I did here or really hate it. I'm on the fence myself, but I guess I'm exploring so it's a bit excusable... Anyway, reviews are appreciated! Many thanks to everyone who has followed**


	6. Chapter 5

Merlin's feet guided him away from both Morgana and her strange brother waiting for him down in the caverns below. He didn't really have anywhere better to be, so he found himself in the courtyard. It was still before sunrise and the place was deserted, all the people who would normally be bustling about were home safe and warm in their beds. It was for that reason alone that Merlin felt comfortable enough to sit down casually on the white marble steps.

There wasn't much light, but Merlin didn't need any. He'd discovered a spell to see in the dark years ago and had it running somewhere in the back of his head whenever the natural light got too dim. For him the courtyard was clear as day, but still just as empty.

He'd always just assumed that the loneliness he felt was the price of his gifts. Something unavoidable. He was the most powerful sorcerer to ever live, and because of that people were naturally wary around him. Not that he blamed them for their unease, he'd grown to accept it. He imagined that for them being in his presence was a bit like being in a room with a hatchet hanging above your head. No reasonable person could be asked to relax, let alone trust, in that kind of situation.

But then he'd met Morgana. Though at first she'd been as wary as the rest of them, she'd been determined to treat Merlin like a person and not a monster. When Merlin had been at his absolute lowest she had promised to bring him back from the brink, to stop him from turning into a mindless animal. And for that, he owed her more than he could ever repay.

Still, he couldn't deny that the well-meaning girl he'd originally struck a deal with was not the mistress he served now. Morgana had become hardened to the point of cruelty over the years of her reign. She'd wooed him to her with promises of saving the lives of other magic users, with promises of _peace_.

But there was no peace. Morgana killed sorcerer and common man alike if they opposed her. And she used Merlin to do it. Somehow, they'd both come to believe it was the only thing he was good for.

But was it?

The sun had risen higher and people had started wander into the courtyard. A few to gather water, some just crossing it in passing, but none noticed Merlin. He was practically invisible sitting still as stone in the shadows.

He watched as they smiled and greeted each other warmly when they passed one another, sharing sleepy 'good mornings' or just polite nods of acknowledgement. It was more than Merlin would ever receive if he was seen. All he would get would be wide eyes filled with fear or a stammering 'my lord' before they scurried away. Jealousy tugged at his heart at their familiarity, at their level of comfort.

Suddenly a little girl that had been tottering diligently behind her mother spotted him and veered off course to investigate. Merlin stiffened as she got closer, bravely coming within a mere arms reach of him.

"Hi." Her high pitched voice greeted, not the least bit afraid. "I'm Dana."

Merlin's lips pinched together to stop the entertained and awed smiled from spreading across his face.

"I'm Merlin." He said, then blinked at his own choice of name. Suddenly inspired and feeling rather rash, he whispered to the girl "Would you like to see a trick?"

Dana's eyes widened and she nodded emphatically, wriggling around where she stood in anticipation.

Merlin cupped his hands and blew into them softly, letting his eyes flash gold. When he opened his hands, a beautiful black and blue butterfly fluttered out and flew a jerky loop around Dana's head.

She giggled and looked at him with an expression filled with joy, her blond curls bouncing up and down as she grinned. The look reminded him of the one Arthur Pendragon had given him the night before; happy and ….trusting.

Merlin had almost forgotten the feeling.

The happy moment was spoiled as a woman's shriek filled the courtyard grabbing everyone's attention. Dana's mother threw herself at the girl and wrapped her body around the small child, looking up at Merlin with pleading eyes.

"Please my lord! She's just a child! She meant no harm, she didn't mean to disturb you! Please lord Emrys, I beg you!"

Merlin tried to calm the woman down, but she was shaking and begging too loudly to hear him. Dana too had started to cry, startled and frightened by her mother's behavior. The other people in the courtyard stopped and stared, whispering amongst themselves.

The warlock did the only thing he could think to do: he ran. He turned on his heels and retreated into the castle as fast as his legs would carry him, realizing that the removal of his presence from proximity to her child was the only thing that was going to calm the mother down.

Once inside and alone again, Merlin fell with his back against the stone wall, letting his head hit harder than necessary. Without his control a few tears slipped out of the corners of his eyes, forced out by the hot emotion and guilt running through his veins.

He wanted to be more than just a weapon, he wanted to be more than just a powerful ally or enemy. He wanted to be a neighbor, a brother, a….friend.

He had to talk to Arthur.

* * *

The king of Camelot was bored out of his mind. He'd managed to get a little bit of sleep over the long night, but the cold stone and the angle he was chained at prevented the kind of rest he was used to. But at least he hadn't been knocked unconscious _. Again._

Stupid Merlin. Wasn't he supposed to be interrogating him? Of course he would be skiving off that duty, just like he did any other. It was starting to look like this new version of Merlin was more like the one he knew than he'd originally thought.

Except for being loyal to Morgana. And being an all-powerful sorcerer. And his newfound fashion sense.

Okay, so nothing like his Merlin at all then.

But they had been the same person. Arthur had known it the moment Merlin had walked into the room. Everything about him had been different, but Merlin was still Merlin. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, maybe it was just that Arthur couldn't imagine anything were Merlin wasn't present. But it was almost like he could sense him. Arthur wasn't whole without Merlin, so if Merlin hadn't been himself, then Arthur would know. Or something like that….

Looking around the cavern, a particularly pale stone caught the king's eye distracting him from his thoughts. What he thought to be a stone was perched on an island sticking up from the cavern and was in stark relief to the dark stones around it. He scooted closer to the edge of the bars trying to get a better view. In the flickering light of the torch on the wall, Arthur could just make out that it was oddly shaped and surrounded by other jagged pale stones in some sort of organization.

Arthur hissed and jumped backward when his brain finally recognized the objects as not stones, but bones. And large ones at that, far too large to belong to any sort of mortal creature. In the flickering orange light of the flames the hollow skull of a dragon was staring at straight at him as if in accusation.

Arthur gulped, seeing the gigantic metal shackles that still encircled the skeletal remains of the beast's legs. He remembered that this was the place that his father had once imprisoned the great dragon not long after his own birth, at that he was staring at the remains of the very creature whom he had witnessed terrorize Camelot. The very creature whom he had killed.

He'd always assumed that being a creature of magic, dragons disappeared into a cloud of glitter or smoke when they died. But the evidence contradicting that theory was sitting before his eyes. And if that was the case, then what had happened to the dragon's body in the clearing after he'd killed it? He have to ask Merlin about it the first chance he had, after they had fixed whatever had gone wrong with the world….

The sound of footsteps descending toward him drew Arthur's attention and the king had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Finally! He was starting to think that Merlin had forgotten about him!

But instead of Merlin in his royal blue tunic, Arthur was greeted by another very familiar face. One he had been unknowingly longing for. She was wearing the simple yellow peasant's dress that had long been her favorite, and her dark brown curls tucked neatly away to the back of her head for practicality. She was a vision, exactly the way he always pictured her, the woman he'd fallen so head over heels in love with.

"Guinevere." He breathed softly, her name itself like a soothing balm to his every woe.

Her brown eyes snapped up to his in surprise, and Arthur realized she too was changed by this new world. The most notable difference was the long scar that ran across her lips and down her neck on the left side. The sight of it and the obvious pain it must have caused her made his blood boil with anger. But Arthur had spent hours and hours in candle and in sunlight studying her every feature and his trained eye could also see frown and worry lines on her flawless face that hadn't been there before.

"Oh. So you _do_ remember me?" Gwen flushed, her cheeks growing red and her words flustered. "I had wondered, I mean I know we were never really introduced or anything. I mean, I was the lady….I-I mean _Queen_ Morgana's maidservant, and you were the crown prince, so we saw each other quite often….not that I expected you to remember a servant, I just thought…..well….."

Arthur had to bite his own lip to stop himself from grinning like a mad man. The coloring in her cheeks was so lovely. Even though he had watched her practice her air of confidence in front of the mirror a thousand times so she could appear queenlier after their marriage, and as outstandingly proud of her he was for it, he still sometimes missed this vulnerable version as she had been when they first met.

"Oh, I remember you." He said in a hushed voice. Her eyes grew wide as his tone implied more than was said and she flushed an even brighter shade of red. For the first time Arthur noticed she was carrying a tray of food, which she set down on Merlin's desk to fish something out of her pocket. A moment later she pulled out a ring of keys and unlocked the cell doors, sliding the tray of food toward him.

Arthur tried to bend down to reach the food at his feet, but the restraints on his arms prevented him from being able to get to it.

Gwen huffed and chewed on her lip, tying to make a decision. A second later she unlocked the cell again and slipped inside, quickly moving to unlock the shackles around his wrists. He rubbed his fingers together, trying to rid his hands of the pins and needles that were attacking them and nodded to her gratefully before reaching for his breakfast. To his surprise she didn't leave the cell, instead curling her skirts under her and sitting down next to him companionably.

"I heard someone say you were captured amongst Sarrum's army." She said tentatively. She was not looking at him, but she had grown very still in a way that told him she was studying his every move, but trying not to be obvious about it. It wasn't a question, but Arthur answered it anyway.

"I was."

"Many enemy men were killed that day." She whispered. "I was wondering if, maybe, you saw one man in particular, that you'd know if he escaped or if….."

Arthur reached out and grabbed her hand, holding it softly in his. He tried to ignore how wonderful it was to touch her, concentrating instead on how to break the awful news. For he knew at once what she was asking.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Guinevere. Elyan was among the dead. I saw his death myself."

For a moment she blinked at him, processing his words. Then she inhaled sharply, a deep shaky breath, and squeezed her eyes together tightly to block out the memories of her dear brother flashing before her eyes. Her free hand flew to cover her mouth to stifle a cry.

Arthur was about to pull her into a comforting embrace, when he stopped short at the sight of her hand. She was wearing a ring on the hand that Arthur wasn't holding. But instead of the golden one Arthur had given her on their wedding day, the ring she wore in its place was a tarnished silver he didn't recognize. As Gwen struggled to control herself, Arthur did the same as he was struck by the implications of the small silver band.

Gwen was married to another man.

He remembered Lancelot's words on the way to Camelot, that he served Morgana out of love, and suddenly felt nauseous. He pulled away from Gwen, thoughts of her and Lancelot together plaguing him in a way they hadn't in years. It felt like his heart was being torn in half. But at the same time, his logical brain told him that he couldn't blame Gwen, not for this. In this strange new world where he had died nearly ten years ago, he couldn't blame her for moving on from something that hadn't existed in the first place.

But it had to be Lancelot, didn't it?

"Arth-I mean, Sire?" Gwen asked as she noticed him pulling away from her. Arthur opened his mouth to say something, but it was like he'd just swallowed a dozen cotton balls, his mouth just wouldn't cooperate. His eyes darted to her wedding ring, then away from her and Gwen understood.

"Oh." Said dryly, glancing at the ring herself "Yes, I suppose it's inappropriate for you to comfort a married woman."

Arthur jerked quickly to look at her again, shocked at the bitter tone in her voice. He had known her to be many things, but never so jaded, never bitter.

She flushed again when she saw him staring.

"Forgive me, Sire. I-I didn't mean to imply you would ever intend something unhonorable…..I didn't mean to hide it or anything! I just…"

"Do you love him?" Arthur blurted out, unable to stop himself. He wanted to swallow the words back down the second they left his mouth. It was not a question he really wanted the answer to. Sure, he'd asked himself the question a million times over, but he didn't know if he could take hearing it from Gwen's lips. Yet even as he begged himself to stop, he couldn't help but clarify to her confused look. "Lancelot. Do you love him?"

Gwen's jaw dropped open.

"But how did you know he was my husband? He hadn't even come to Camelot before you….well, you know….."

He'd known it was true without the verification, but the moment Gwen confirmed that Lancelot was indeed the man she was now married to, Arthur's stomach twisted and some primordial beast inside him growled.

"Just answer the question." He snapped, closing his eyes and bracing himself for the near fatal blow. Gods, he was such a masochist. He didn't want to hear her say it, but at the same time he kind of had to.

"….No."

 _No?_

Once again Arthur's eyes shot open and his gaze snapped back to look at her. He held his breath, unable to take air in on the off chance it changed her answer. How was it possible? Lancelot was her husband now! How could she really say she didn't love him?  
Arthur hadn't realized he'd let that last bit slip out of his mouth until he noticed Gwen's hurt and defensive look as she explained.

"It wasn't really like that! It's not like I chose to marry him! I was ordered to! When the Queen tells you to do something, you have to do it or face a public execution!" Gwen's hand flew to cover her mouth again and she looked around wildly to see if anyone had overheard her near traitorous words. She relaxed marginally when she realized they were alone and continued with her story. "After you died, Uther named Morgana his heir and revealed to everyone she was his daughter. At first I was happy, I mean not about you dying, but about Morgana being Queen. I thought she would be brilliant at it. But then Uther died and she became Queen and it _changed_ her. She stopped caring about things, about people. Soon all she cared about was power.

When Lancelot came, he was charming and wonderful and…..and I think at first, I really did love him. But then Morgana killed a young girl, and Lancelot stood up to her. She needed his sword and knew she couldn't threaten his own life with any real results….so she threatened mine. After that, my whole purpose in her eyes became being something she could threaten him with, to keep him in line. She ordered me to marry him so he would be less tempted to betray her. Any friendship that remained between she and I died that day."

"Guinevere….." Arthur sighed, reaching out for her. There was so much pain, such loneliness in her words, he wanted to go back in time and fix it. He wished he could have prevent her from being used it such a way.

"But Morgana underestimated me. She still sees me as just a maidservant. She has no idea what I'm capable of…"

There was a cold, deadliness to her words that was completely alien to Arthur. Her jaw was clenched in a hardened determination, one forged from pain and suffering, that didn't belong on her beloved face. Something Leon had said in passing suddenly occurred to him and he gaped at his wife, putting the pieces together.

"You're the spy." He said and his suspicions were confirmed as fear flashed across her face. "You've been spying on Morgana for Sarrum."

Gwen bit her lower lip and her eyes darted toward the exit, as if gauging if she could make a run for it and escape. Arthur pulled her hand closer to him and covered it with his other, soothing her fears.

"It's okay, I won't turn you in. I promise. I just…." He struggled, trying to understand. "Why? Why Sarrum? I watched him execute children Guinevere! Why would you ever ally yourself with a men like that?"

Gwen nodded grimly and Arthur was secretly relieved she did not try and justify the killings like Leon had.

"Sarrum is a monster, it's true, but he is the only hope we have of being free of Morgana. Your right, I am loath to serve such a man, but Morgana's tyranny cannot stand. I can't just sit by as she murders and burns the whole kingdom."

Tears started to well up in her eyes, and Arthur couldn't help but reach out for her. He gently cupped her face with the palm of his hand and swiped her tears away with his thumb.

"Oh Guinevere, this isn't your fault." He murmured, heartbroken to see her pain. "This isn't the way things are supposed to be…"

"I'm sorry." She sniffled, ignoring his words and trying desperately to control her emotions. "I really don't mean to lay all of my problems on you. I mean, you're a noble, a prince for crying out loud, I probably sound like just a silly maid to you…."

"Your not" He assured her, softly running his hand up and down her arm to comfort her.

"It's just that…..for whatever reason, I feel like I can trust you" She said, confused eyes watching him. "I feel safe with you. You're different now. I never felt that before."

Arthur had scooted closer to her as she spoke and now Gwen's eyes widened as she realized how very close and intimate they with each other. She jerked away, embarrassed and scrambled to pick up the serving tray, getting to her feet.

"Guinevere, wait!" He called out after her. She stopped just on the other side of the bars, listening.

"This, everything, it's not the way things should be." He tried to explain. "I come from version of the world where things are different, where I never died." Her brow furrowed, but she did not dismiss him entirely, which Arthur took to be a good sign, so he continued.

"…..In my version, Morgana has been cast out. I'm king. And you're my…"

"What's going on here?" A voice interrupted them.

Merlin was standing at the foot of the stairs, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed. Gwen spun around, the tray she was holding falling to the floor with a clatter.

"L-Lord Emrys." She stammered, dropping down into a nervous curtsy.

Arthur on the other hand, was not impressed. The world might have changed drastically for the worst, but Merlin's ability to have the worst timing known to man, especially when it came to his alone time with Gwen, seemed to be the same in any version.

"Oh, go away." He snapped petulantly at Merlin. "Can't you see we were having a moment?"

Gwen gapped at him, but the corners of Merlin's mouth tip upward so quickly Arthur could have missed it. It was as if Merlin had been waiting to see if Arthur's demeanor had changed, and was pleased that it hadn't.

"Leave us." Merlin ordered to Gwen, who bowed and moved hastily to obey.

"But…" Arthur protested at her retreating form. He waited until they could no longer hear the sound of her footsteps climbing the stairs before he turned to glare at Merlin.

"She could have stayed." He reprimanded the warlock.

Merlin snorted.

"You know she's married, don't you?" he said, his voice equally as reprimanding.

"Yeah….to me." Arthur sighed and leaned back against the wall. He'd said the words only for his own benefit, but Merlin perked up. Surprised and then considering.

"In this… other world you talked about" he asked hesitantly. Arthur nodded.

"You believe me?"

Merlin bit his lip, calculating as he walked through the door Gwen had left open and crouched next to him.

"Maybe." He acknowledged, then challenged "Tell me about it."

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 **A/N: Ok so yeah...Sorry Lance/Gwen shippers. I just have this idea that if Arthur died and Merlin hadn't come to Camelot, Everyone would have ended up in much worse places than they were in the cannon. The thing I was trying to get at with Gwen and Lance was that Lance loved Gwen more than almost anything, But even though Gwen did love Lancelot back, his sacrifice of his morals for her safety changed him into the kind of man Gwen wouldn't want to be with anymore. I don't know how well I conveyed that idea in this...but that's what I was going for. Also, without a better option between serving Morgana and Sarrum, everyone has pretty much had to try and choose the lesser of two evils, and it's hardened then all. Especially Merlin. But that's more in next chapter...Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 6

**A/n: Sorry for the late updates. I have not abandoned this story, just been busy with other stuff. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me. I've plotted this out to be 9 chapters total, so only 3 more to go!**

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"What do you want to know?"

"Just…what's so different about it from here?"

"Everything's different" Arthur huffed. "For one thing, I'm not dead." He threw his hands in the air and gestured to himself to prove it. "I'm the king of Camelot, Guinevere is my Queen. Morgana occasionally stirs up trouble, but for the most part she is in hiding, driven from the kingdom after multiple failed attempts to seize the crown. And you're….you're my manservant."

"Your _what?"_ Merlin balked.

"My manservant." Arthur confirmed, then teased "Not that you're any good at it. Honestly, I think you're the absolute worst servant I've ever met."

"I am the most powerful sorcerer that has ever lived, and you have me cleaning your _socks_?" Merlin snorted with disbelief "Why on earth would I ever want to do something like that?"

"It's not like either of us had a choice in the matter. My father granted you the position as a reward for saving my life."

"Some reward."

"Oh, trust me, at the time I wasn't happy about it either."

"Wait a minute," Merlin said, an idea coming to him. "When exactly did this happen? When did I save your life?"

"It was some feast my father was throwing, a famous singer had been invited. I think it was to celebrate twenty years without magic in Camelot?"

"And the singer put everyone to sleep before throwing a dagger at your heart…."

Arthur's heart leapt with excitement.

"So you do remember!?"

"No, I wasn't there. I've just heard the stories." Merlin glanced at him tentatively, "Arthur, you died at that feast. The dagger found its mark, killing you almost instantly. They say when Uther woke and found you dead, it destroyed what was left of his sanity. He started the second great purge that night, the skies filling with smoke as he burned people."

"No. That's not what happened." Arthur shook his head vehemently, denying the awful picture Merlin painted. "You were there. You saved me."

"I was in Ealdor." Merlin said. He ran a hand through his dark hair, trying to recall the time nearly ten years ago. "A friend of mine had just discovered that I had magic. My mother and I talked about sending me away, to Camelot even because she knew someone here who used to be a sorcerer, but in the end we decided it was too dangerous."

"Will." Arthur remembered the brown haired peasant boy who had looked at him with resentment and been protective around Merlin more clearly. All that he remembered happening in Ealdor took on a new light as he realized that Will had not been the sorcerer, that it had been Merlin all along.

Merlin gave him a funny look when he heard Arthur utter the name.

"I met him once, in Ealdor." Arthur explained "We went to help defend your village against a Brigand who had been terrorizing them."

Merlin's face turned exceedingly pale and he looked frozen to the spot.

"Kanen" He whispered hoarsely.

Before Arthur could comprehend what was happening, Merlin was suddenly on him, his fist clutched in the front of Arthur's shirt.

"You say that in your world, we fought him, together. Did we win? Did we save them!?" He near shouted at a confused Arthur.

"Save who?" the blond asked.

"My village! My Mother!"

"Of course we did" Arthur scoffed, as if there had been any other option "Your mother's coming to visit next spring. We've talked about moving her into the castle permanently, but for some reason she just loves the countryside."

"It was my grandfather's farm." Merlin whispered in awed explanation.

Arthur stared into Merlin's wild and frantic eyes and comprehension dawned on him.

"Merlin, what happened to your village here, in this timeline?"

The warlock turned away from him and wearily laid his head against the iron bars, his gaze distant.

"I was there the first time Kanen and his men came demanding half our crops. I told him to leave us alone, and when he didn't things got ugly. I had to use magic to scare them off, and the whole village saw. At first they were happy because I could keep them safe. But then they all started wanting things from me. 'Cure my cow, Merlin' or 'Make my crops grow, Merlin'. I could meet most of their demands, but it was so much! Sometimes I would fail and then they would get angry. It all got to be too much, so I moved into an old abandoned cottage about a half a day's walk away. Mother would come and visit every few days, and tease me about becoming a hermit. But I think we both knew it was better off that way."

"Then one day, I was expecting her visit, and it never came. I waited all morning for her, worrying myself sick with ideas that she'd twisted an ankle or something and was caught somewhere on the walk over. So I raced down the path to the village. But she wasn't on the path. In fact, she'd never even made it away from home."

"I guess Kanen couldn't hold with the idea of anyone standing up to his bullying. He heard that I'd left, and ordered the entire village to be burned, the villagers slaughtered. When I finally got into town there was nothing left but smoldering ruins and burnt corpses."

"Merlin," Arthur breathed out sympathetically, the faces of the villagers he had once taught to defend themselves flashing through his mind. He laid a comforting hand on his friends shoulder, but Merlin shook him off, his eyes clouding over with frustrated tears as he described what happened next.

"I was so _angry._ I've never been that angry in my life, before or since. Before I knew what was really happening, I had found them. I knew it was wrong, I knew it wasn't what she….what they would have wanted. But I just wanted them to _pay!_ "

A choked sob escaped from his throat and he bit down on his fist to try and control himself.

"I killed them." He cried "I killed them all. Summoned a great fiery tornado and burnt them just like they burnt my village. Over one hundred men. When the knights of Camelot found me, I was sitting in a field full of fresh bodies. I didn't resist, I hadn't the energy. They took me to Camelot, and it's here I met Morgana."

"Not being there to protect them is my biggest regret, one I will never forgive myself for. But you say, that in your world it never happened? That we turned Kanen away and that he never returned?"

"I killed him myself" Arthur stated solemnly.

Merlin was quiet for a moment as he contemplated the implications of Arthur's reality.

"But how?" He asked "How did things come to be so different?"

"I've been thinking about that a lot actually. My best guess is that it has something to do with the creature we were hunting. Gaius said it had the power to grant wishes."

"Who in their right mind would wish for _this_?" Merlin said bitterly.

Shame bubbled up within the King.

"It's my fault." He admitted "I think I'm the one who made the wish. You and I were fighting, and I said that I wished I'd never met you. Merlin, it was just something I said in the heat of the moment! I never meant it, not really."

Merlin turned away from the blond man, his thoughts deep in calculation. He felt like he had a pretty good grasp of Arthur's nature, and there was something inside him that instantly wanted to trust him.

"I have one more question. Answer my question honestly, and I swear I'll release you."

"Deal."

"In that place, are…..are people scared of me? Do they hate what I am?" when the warlock finally looked at Arthur his deep blue eyes were wide and vulnerable, like that of a scared child. Yet there was something else in his expression, something that looked a lot like hope. It broke Arthur's heart. But he knew he owed the warlock the truth.

"No one knows." Arthur told him regretfully. "Or at least, I think they don't. You didn't tell anyone you had magic. You were at my side for almost ten years and I only just found out you were a sorcerer. It's what we fought about.… You see, magic is still illegal in Camelot." Arthur looked away guiltily. He had seen enough of this new world to finally realize that magic its' self wasn't evil, but the way people used it was the deciding factor. He was ashamed that someone like Merlin, who could do so much good, had had to hide.

Merlin let out a kind of choked gasp and closed his eyes, completely overwhelmed with emotion. A tear slipped down his cheek. It killed Arthur to see him like this and the shame of it was overwhelming. How could he possibly ask Merlin to help him put the world straight when what awaited him was fear of the executioners axe. Here he was free to be who he was in the light. Here he didn't have to hide anything from the people he loved.

But Arthur had mistaken the cause of Merlin's emotions.

"I've always wondered what it would be like," The powerful sorcerer said longingly "To walk down the streets and not have the people scurry away in fear. To get to know people who weren't afraid of me, to be _normal_! Please tell me, in your world do I have….friends?" He said the last word hesitantly, like he was trying very hard to control the anticipation that consumed him.

Arthur gaped at him.

"Of course you do." Arthur reassured him, baffled that he should even ask such a question "Merlin, your one of the most beloved people in Camelot. It seems like everywhere you go you make friends instantly. Hell, you were friends with most of my knights before I ever was. I know my wife counts you as one of her closest friends, and Sir Gwaine can be found professing his love for you nearly once a week in the tavern!"

"Gwaine?" Merlin laughed incredulously "You made _him_ a knight?"

"Yes, and the tavern bills are outrageous, trust me. But he is one of my best knights and the only reason he's sworn loyalty to me and Camelot is because of you."

Merlin sucked a deep breath in through his teeth, getting his breathing back under control before turning back to Arthur. He wanted so badly to believe what the blond was telling him, but he couldn't imagine it being true. The idea of _Gwaine_ ever calling him friend was certainly laughable.

"You could be lying so that I'll help you."

"I'm not" Arthur swore with a fervent shake of his head "I'm really not. Merlin, if you don't believe that the others are your friends, then believe that I am. Because it's true: I am your friend and I always will be." Arthur's emotions got the better of him as he pleaded with Merlin to believe him, to understand "You've always been there for me Merlin. Every single time I needed you, you were there and the one time you needed me I let you down. I'm sorry. I'm _so_ sorry. I took you for granted. I swear to you Merlin, it will never happen again."

Arthur reached out for him and Merlin took an instinctive step back. Hurt crossed the king's face for a fraction of a second before he realized that this wasn't his Merlin. This Merlin was like a mistreated animal reacting to years of pain and abuse. His mind made up, Arthur moved quickly so Merlin didn't have time to stop him.

The next thing Merlin knew Arthur's arms were wrapped around him in a tight embrace. He held his body rigidly still with shock as Arthur buried his cheek in the crook of Merlin's neck.

The only person who'd physically touched Merlin since he'd come to Camelot was Morgana, and her embraces felt decidedly different from this one. When she held him it was always brief, and more a show of possession rather than affection. Now, Arthur was clinging to him like he was afraid Merlin would disappear out from under him, clutching the back of his tunic so tightly it almost hurt. He could feel Arthur's face press into his shoulder and found it impossible to doubt his sincerity. Slowly, Merlin brought his hands up and embraced him back with a long sigh.

When Arthur felt Merlin hug him back, it only made him clutch the warlock to him harder. This was what he should have done when he found out about Merlin's magic. He should have embraced him, thanked him for finally revealing his whole self and been able to move on as brothers. But as usual, his pride had gotten the better of him.

 _Never again_. He swore silently. Never again would Merlin slip through the cracks. Never again would he see the look of desperation and heartbreak he had seen on his friends face.

The sound of small footsteps scurrying down the stairs made the two men quickly jump apart. The round face of a page boy, bright red and huffing from running poked around the corner.

"Lord Emrys." He wheezed "The Queen has need of you. She want's you in the main hall, immediately!"

Merlin frowned, irritated by the interruption. He turned to Arthur.

"I have to go…" He said, regretfully. "While I'm gone, feel free to look through my books. Maybe we can find out more about this creature, and how to defeat it."

Arthur nodded. "We'll fix this Merlin. I _promise_ you."

Hope twinkled in the warlocks blue eyes before he stuffed it down, donning a face that Morgana wouldn't question. Then he turned and walked up the stairs, curious as to what dark task his mistress had instore for him this time.

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 **A/N: I've been reading a lot of Star Wars FanFiction, and I just realized how much it shows in this chapter. Whoops. Sorry about that. But I still think there are a lot of really good parallels.**

 **Anyway, let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!**


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